An Archaeology of Care in the Bakken Oil Patch (North Dakota, USA)
Author(s): Richard Rothaus; William Caraher; Bret Weber
Year: 2017
Summary
The University of North Dakota Man Camp Project has used archaeology to engage seriously the issues of workforce housing and industrial landscapes in the Bakken. Our work proceeds with a focus not on the ebullience (or catastrophe) of the Bakken, but rather on the material culture of housing in a dynamic extractive landscape. We do not advocate, nor do we analyze or make policy recommendations. Our work in the field epitomizes, however, an archaeology of care for the communities in which we work. Our conversations in the field, attention to detail, and willingness to take seriously the everyday life of individuals and communities create a connection between the wider world (which we represent, oddly enough) and their very personal experience. Our recognition of, and interest in, the agency of individuals buffered by incomprehensibly large forces has value for the academic and non-academic communities.
Cite this Record
An Archaeology of Care in the Bakken Oil Patch (North Dakota, USA). Richard Rothaus, William Caraher, Bret Weber. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Fort Worth, TX. 2017 ( tDAR id: 435152)
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
General
Architecture
•
extractive industry
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North Dakota
Geographic Keywords
North America
•
United States of America
Temporal Keywords
Contemporary
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 364